Box Score Game Summary vs. Adrian / GameDay Online

ADRIAN, Mich. — It was as if the Saint Mary's University women's hockey team had awakened a sleeping giant.

And the Cardinals didn't even have a slingshot to defend themselves.

The Cardinals held Adrian to just one goal through the first two periods of Saturday's opening game of the teams' two-game nonconference series. But that one goal — scored with just 44 seconds remaining in the second period — was all it took.

The wide-awake Bulldogs would erupt for four third-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory — and in Sunday's rematch, they picked up right where they left off, scoring three times in both the first and third periods in completing the sweep with a 6-0 victory.

"Give Adrian credit, they are a very good team, and they played very well in both games," said SMU coach Terry Mannor. "But in our defense, I don't think the final scores really told the whole story — both games were much closer than the final scores indicated.

"We had our fair share of chances (Sunday)," added Mannor, whose team actually held a 19-18 advantage in shots on goal over the final two periods, only to be outscored 3-0. "We just did not finish as well as we need to."

Adrian opened the scoring early, as Jessica Grubbs and Jenna Corbin would beat SMU goalie Erin Johnson-Buscemi (Medina, Minn.) — making her first collegiate start — in the game's opening five minutes, while Brooke Zaleski would also beat Johnson-Buscemi in the game's opening 20 minutes, pushing the Bulldogs' lead to 3-0 with her second goal of the season with just 42 seconds remaining.

On in relief of Johnson-Buscemi, Madeline Lenz (White Bear Lake, Minn.) did her best to keep the Cardinals in the game, stopping 12 second-period goals, but Adrian goalie Dana Timm was equally as impressive, stopping 17 shots through two periods and 25 for the game in posting her third shutout of the season.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the scoreless second period proved to be just a brief “rest” for the high-powered Bulldogs. Lauren Anastos pushed the lead to 4-0 at 8:53, and Grubbs and Zaleski each added their second of the afternoon in the two-minute span late in the game to complete the offensive onslaught.

The Cardinals, who fall to 3-8 overall, return to action with an exhibition series Saturday and Sunday against defending ACHA national champion Lindenwood.